Wishing not to be alone
by Nekochan Kawaii
Summary: A melancholic tale about Hiro and Kisa as they go through high school, wishing they could tell each other how they truly feel... PERMANENTLY DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue: From a Distance…

**Wishing Not to be Alone**

Disclaimer: No matter how much I dream… Fruits Basket will always be a possession of Natsuki Takaya-sensei…

Important Notes: This fanfiction may refer to events that happen later in the manga and a watcher of the anime or somebody who is outdated on the latest events in the manga may be in store for some minor spoilers (but nothing too major). Also, the prologue takes place around the current time of the manga (springtime, just as Hiro is starting his first year of middle school and Kisa is starting her second), but the rest of the story takes place three years and later than that (Kisa in her second year of high school, and Hiro in his first).

_Prologue: From a Distance…_

As wind lightly blew the beautiful Sakura tree, rays of sunlight danced gently upon the rose-colored petals. A young boy – Hiro Sohma – watched his best friend from a distance, his eyes filled with sorrow. He could do nothing to save Kisa from the pain she was facing. He so longingly wished to help her, to relieve her of the pain and sorrows of the world.

_I distanced myself from you…_

…_Too ashamed to show myself …_

…_For I was the reason…_

…_That came to be…_

…_When I told Akito…_

…_My true feelings for you._

Akito's image appeared in his mind. That cold, apathetic laugh, that terror he became as Hiro told him how he liked Kisa…

…And Kisa's pain as she fell to the pain and agony that was inflicted upon her – the tears that fell from her eyes, believing that she was all alone.

Was that all that life was - that despondency that was staring them both in the eyes?

Hiro watched Kisa, who was walking all alone. Her face wore an empty expression, so sorrowful and longing for somebody to care…

…_And although you forgave me…_

…_I am still finding it hard to forgive myself._

…_For I don't want you…_

…_To feel all alone again._

**Neko's Rambling Corner Part 1!** – Hi! So, it's the prologue for my very first fan fiction. Nothing much, but I needed this to set the mood of the story, right? But this prologue is really hard for even I to follow… Hmm… Well, I promise the rest of the chapters aren't going to be _that _difficult to understand. Anyway, when Hiro first appeared in vol. 7 of the manga, I really disliked him a lot (with obvious reasoning, seeing as he does act like a total brat in those first few chapters he appeared in), however, later on it got a _bit_ better for me when I read the parts he was in (at least I didn't want to kill him for every single word he said). I came up with this idea while on a plane to California, where I was going to an anime convention. I got bored, so I decided, "Hey! Why not? I'll write a fanfic!" While brainstorming ideas, I came across this one I became really attached to, and I started writing like crazy. Until next time, then!


	2. Chapter 1: The First Day of School

**Wishing Not to be Alone**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters and such… Even if I did, it wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is today, because the characters would look horrible, the story would be lame… I have a long list of reasons why.

_Chapter 1: The First Day of School_

On a fair spring day, about three years later, the sun shone brightly to greet the new school year in Kaibara High. A petite sixteen-year-old girl with golden hair slightly tinted in a shade of orange looked outside the classroom window at the beautiful petals of cherry blossoms falling gently downwards towards the ground. Her golden eyes followed them softly, as they fell.

Her friend, a black-haired, grayish-blue eyed girl, called out to her softly, "Kisa-chan… Kisa-chan!"

Kisa's eyes gleaming like the sun and her mouth twisting into a small smile, she answered in a soft, quiet voice, "Sakura-chan… I'm so happy to see you today."

She hurried over to meet her friend, who was standing by the entrance of the classroom and grinning from ear to ear in cheerfulness.

Sakura answered excitedly, "Me too, Kisa-chan! It's so wonderful that we will be starting our second year today, right?"

"Mm-hmm… It is…" Kisa answered with a faint expression of joy in her expression.

Sakura replied, grinning, "I cannot wait to see the new first-years! That will be most enjoyable…"

Kisa responded, with a rather distracted expression on her face, as if she was thinking about something other than the conversation they were having now, "Yes, it would be very fun to meet them all… Very enjoyable…"

Sakura looking at Kisa's zoned-out expression, she thought to herself about who or what Kisa could be thinking of. It's odd, she had been acting strangely lately, cheerful as ever… yet somewhat distracted… Immediately, Sakura's expression changed to one of understanding, as she remembered, "Hey… didn't you say a friend of yours was starting at Kaibara High School this year? What's his name…? Hiro, I think…"

Kisa's expression lit up slightly, as she nodded and answered, "Yes… Hiro-chan is starting his first year at this school, this year."

Sakura wore an expression of confusion, as she said, "Hiro-_chan_? Hmm… I don't know of many boys that actually allow themselves to be addressed that way…"

Kisa responded, "Well, Hiro-chan and I have known each other since we were really little…" changing the subject, she exclaimed, "Oh, where is Hitomi-chan? I haven't seen her at all since I arrived at school."

Sakura replied, thinking about the girl that was her and Kisa's best friend, "Hitomi is outside, apparently talking to a first-year friend of hers… I think she'll be back shortly…"

As Sakura said this, a tall, dark-brown-haired girl with bright green eyes walked into the room, waving joyfully at Kisa and Sakura.

Kisa exclaimed joyfully, eyeing the newcomer ecstatically, "Good morning, Hitomi-chan!"

Hitomi replied, "Oh… hello, Kisa-chan, how are you doing?"

Kisa smiled quietly, as she responded, "Very well, thank you."

The three chatted animatedly for quite a while in excitement about the coming year. Suddenly, Sakura wondered, "Kisa-chan… so when are we going to meet your friend, Hiro Sohma? You talk so much about him… but I want to meet him myself!"

Hitomi chimed in, "Yes, yes, Kisa-chan! We want to meet him! Hmm… should we go right now to make our acquaintance with him?"

Kisa, clearly overjoyed at the thought of introducing her friends to Hiro, immediately answered, "Of course! I was thinking of going to meet him later on, myself. We can leave right now."

The other two girls nodded enthusiastically, as the three left the classroom to go meet Kisa's friend.

As they passed by an array of younger students, Kisa, Sakura, and Hitomi got lost in the swarm of new faces they did not recognize. They were about to give up on their search, when Kisa saw a tall boy, with light-brown hair, leaning alone on the wall by the entrance of classroom 1-A.

Kisa's expression lit up dramatically, as she ran quickly to meet the boy, her friends lagging close behind.

"Hiro-chan!" Kisa exclaimed happily, waving joyously to the boy. "I have not spoken to you since New Year's… How are you?"

Hiro answered with a hint (not too much) of a smile on his face, "I'm doing fine, Kisa…" When Kisa started high school and Hiro had one year of middle school left, they no longer attended the same school, thus making it so they spoke to each other much less often then they used to.

Kisa smiled contently, as looked up at her close friend. She answered, "That's wonderful, Hiro-chan…"

Suddenly, Hitomi interrupted, "So now that that is over… can you introduce us to your friend, Kisa-chan?"

Kisa smiled, as she introduced Hiro to her two best friends, "Right! So, Sakura-chan, Hitomi-chan, this is my younger cousin, Hiro Sohma. Hiro-chan, these are my two best friends at school, Sakura Onichii and Hitomi Kuwabara."

Sakura, with a cheerful grin on her face, said, "Pleased to meet you, Hiro-kun."

Hitomi, with a note of playfulness in her voice, remarked, "Hmmm… So you are the famous 'Hiro-chan' that Kisa-chan is always talking about… interesting…"

Kisa's cheeks turned a soft pink, as she said, nervously, "B-but I do not talk about Hiro-chan all the time… do I?"

"Don't worry about it, Kisa-chan," Sakura told the girl, seeing the embarrassed look on her face. "Hitomi is just teasing… You don't _always_ talk about anybody."

Hiro, in the midst of all this, answered sarcastically to the two girls, "I'm happy to meet you, too." (_Rivals! Rivals, I tell you!_ ) Although that Hitomi girl really aggravated him, if they made Kisa happy, then he could cope with them. At least they weren't like that "stupid woman", Tohru Honda, whom Hiro felt was his rival ever since he met her four years ago.

Kisa turned to Hiro. "So, anyway, how are your mom and Hinata doing?"

Hiro replied, "Well… mother's being clumsy, as usual. She tends to trip a lot… The other day, for instance, she was stepping downstairs and accidentally tripped – nearly sent flying. Gosh… _how many times do I have to tell her to be more careful?_ She's such a klutz, and it really worries me, sometimes…" (Kisa smiled slightly, Hiro really did care about his mother a lot - no matter how much he complained about her) "…And Hinata… We just celebrated her third birthday. She's a pain at times, but I guess that's how three-year-olds are _supposed_ to be… Maybe you should come over sometime soon to visit."

Kisa answered kindly, "I'd love to."

Suddenly, Sakura checked the time on her watch, her eyes widening. "Kisa-chan… Hitomi… We need to go! Our classes will be starting very soon."

Hearing Sakura's words, Kisa waved good-bye to Hiro, saying, "Goodbye, Hiro-chan! Until next time…"

Hiro answered, "Ok… See you, Kisa." He watched the girls wander off, as he stood there, alone, waiting for his own class to start. He still had not said a word to Kisa… Even after all this time, he still hadn't told her what he really felt about her. There was a pain in his heart… He could never tell her – the fear of Akito's wrath if her found out was too great. If Hiro were to reveal his true feelings, it would endanger Kisa…

…And there was no way that Hiro was going to let that happen again.

**Neko's Rambling Corner Part 2:** And so… Chapter 1 is officially _over!_ Wow, that was a long chapter. Over 1000 words… pretty long compared to the prologue. (_Well of course! It's **supposed** to be!_) Anyway, Hiro may have been slightly out of character in some parts here, but I think I got a few complaints and sarcasm mixed into his dialogue there… In case you don't know, Hinata is Hiro's baby sister, who was born and first appeared in chapters 103 and 104. Since she's still a baby in the manga, nobody knows what her personality or appearance will be when she's old enough to talk and stuff… for the purposes of this storyline I'll make it all up.


	3. Chapter 2: A Surprise Visit

**Wishing Not to be Alone**

Disclaimer: All the Fruits Basket characters and plot are property of Natsuki Takaya… whether I like it or not.

_Chapter 2: A Surprise Visit_

Returning from school one afternoon in May, Hiro set aside his backpack by the door of the living room.

"Hiro-chan! Is that you?" he heard his mother's voice, calling out from the kitchen.

He called out to his mother, "Yeah, it's me. I just got home…" He rushed into the kitchen, where his mother stood making noodles and a little, 3-year-old girl, with short brown hair and eyes – his sister, Hinata – played with her dolls in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, Hinata dropped her dolls onto the floor and rushed forward to hug him, crying out (in third-person, as many little kids do), " _Onii-san!_ Hinata-chan wants to play!" She hugged him tightly, making the teenage boy disappear and be replaced with an adorable sheep, sitting squarely on the floor and seething.

"HINATA!" the aggravated sheep complained loudly at his little sister. "_How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?_"

As Hinata giggled at the sheep on the floor, their mother giggled as well, telling her son, "Hiro-chan, she's only three years old… beside, your sheep form _does_ look absolutely adorable! Who wouldn't want to hug you?"

The sheep's eyes softened slightly as he heard his mother's words. He replied, still slightly fuming, "Well, at least I'm going to make sure she isn't around when I change back!" At that, Hiro, in his sheep's form, left the kitchen promptly for his own bedroom.

After about five minutes, he emerged from his bedroom, changed back to his normal state. Again, he entered the kitchen, to find Hinata playing with her dolls and his mother still fixing the noodles she had been making before.

Noticing her son had entered the room, Hiro's mother, handing him a telephone, said, "Hiro-chan, Kisa-chan just called a minute ago. She was wondering if she could come over today. Would you like to call her back?"

Hiro answered, "Oh sure… I'll call right now." He seized the phone from his mother's grasp, as he quickly dialed Kisa's number.

_Ring! R-r-r-ring! R-r-r-ring!_

Somebody answered the phone. A voice Hiro recognized as Kisa's mother said, "Hello?"

Hiro asked, "Can I speak to Kisa?"

The woman's voice on the other line answered, "Oh, yes, Hiro-chan… of course you can!"

"Thank you, oba-san…"

"Just wait a second, as I go get her…" There was some shuffling on the other end, and a loud, almost _too_ audible, "Kisa… _Telephone!"_ was heard in the background.

And finally, somebody picked up the telephone, and he heard Kisa's voice on the other end. "Hello, Hiro-chan!"

Hiro answered briefly, "Hello."

"Can I come over today, then? Is that all right with your mom?" she asked hopefully.

Hiro replied, "Yes. Mother is ok with it, so you can come."

Kisa exclaimed with great excitement in her voice, "That's great! I'll be right over…" She immediately hung up, and Hiro put the phone down.

Hinata asked, with an adorable lisp in her voice, "Hey… Onii-san… who was onii-san talking to?"

Hiro answered, looking down at his baby sister, "A good friend of mine, and her name's Kisa."

About a half-hour later, the doorbell rang. Hiro immediately jumped up to answer it. As he opened the door, Kisa, grinning cheerfully, greeted him. That was one thing Hiro had noticed changed in Kisa, she seemed to smile much more than she used to back in middle school. Hiro wondered who sponsored that change. Could it have been her new friends? Or maybe it was that "stupid woman"… Either way, Hiro didn't care. He was glad that Kisa smiled more now, because she certainly did deserve to.

As they entered the kitchen, Kisa immediately hugged Hiro's mother, Satsuki, saying, "Oba-san… Good evening to you. I don't think I've visited for a while, have I?"

Satsuki answered lovingly, "No you have not… I don't think Hinata-chan and I have seen you at all since New Years…" Motioning her daughter, who was sitting in the corner of the room, clasping her doll, she said, "Hinata-chan, come and say hello!"

Hinata answered with that cute lisp of hers, "But mommy… Who _is_ she?"

Satsuki replied, kneeling to Hinata's level, "Don't you remember what Hiro-chan was saying earlier? Her name is Kisa, and she is one of Hiro-chan's friends."

As Kisa smiled sweetly at the three-year-old, Hinata replied, "Kisa-neechan… Hinata-chan thinks Kisa-neechan seems nice. Hinata-chan wants to be Kisa-neechan's friend, too!"

Kisa answered cheerfully, "I'd like to be your friend too, Hinata-chan. Hiro-chan has been my friend since he was your age, you know…"

Hinata said excitedly, "Really? Hinata-chan thinks that's neat! But she wonders… Are Onii-san and Kisa-neechan going to kiss?"

At the sound of Hinata's comment, Kisa and Hiro's cheeks turned bright red. Satsuki laughed, commenting, "Hinata-chan… you can be really silly sometimes. Of course not! I wonder where you get all of those silly ideas from…"

Still slightly blushing, Hiro grabbed Kisa's hand, leading her out of the room (stuttering at his mother, "C-c-call when dinner's ready!"). They went upstairs to Hiro's room, where they quickly shut the door, as they started to converse.

Hiro apologized, slightly embarrassed for his sister, "I'm sorry for what Hinata said just now… umm… I'm not quite sure where she gets that stuff…"

Kisa answered, "That's ok, she's very young… I forgive her."

Kisa paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. All of a sudden, a question came to mind, "Hiro-chan… Does Hinata-chan… Does she know about the curse?"

Hiro replied, "No… she doesn't, not yet. Although she is aware that I turn into a sheep when hugged by a girl, mom told me that we shouldn't tell her why I transform until she is older."

"Well, that's good, at least, that she accepts your sheep form… hopefully that'll be the same when you and oba-san tell her in detail about the curse…"

"I'll keep my hopes up, definitely…"

Suddenly, Kisa remembered what Sakura was telling her about how it was unusual how she called Hiro, "Hiro-chan", and how most boys did not like being addressed in that manner. She inquired, "Hiro-chan… are you offended when I call you that?"

"What exactly do you mean, Kisa?"

"I was wondering because most boys feel offended when addressed using the '-chan' honorific… right?"

"I guess they do… but personally, I don't care at all. You can call me whatever the heck you want."

"Well, you aren't 'Hiro-chan', anymore… so maybe you'd be happy if I called you 'Hiro-kun' instead?"

"Erm… I guess so…" Hiro wondered what Kisa could mean by saying that he wasn't "Hiro-chan" anymore… he was same as always, right? Lost in his world of bewilderment, he gazed off in Kisa's direction, wondering what exactly the girl was thinking.

Bringing the two back to reality, there was a sudden knock on the door, followed by Satsuki's call. "Hiro-chan, Kisa-chan! It's time for dinner!"

The two rushed out of Hiro's room, their faces expressing curiosity, wondering what the other's true feelings were.

**Neko's Rambling Corner Part 3:** This chapter was oodles of fun to write… although it was mostly an excuse to bring in Hiro's little sister and mother into the story. Hinata is just the cutest, with her dolls, the lisp, and the third-person speech. I would've had her say some other adorably hilarious things, but I had to focus on other events in this chapter. However, I can almost guarantee that Hinata and Satsuki are going to have some importance later on in the story, so they will be back! (YAY!) Anyway, I've been updating rapidly, and I hope to do so for the rest of the series… but I might lose interest if nobody reviews. I'll still finish the story, of course, but I'd really appreciate some reviews for this story. (hint, hint) See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 3: Stormy Weather

**Wishing Not to be Alone**

Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket… But the original characters in this story (Sakura and Hitomi, to name a few) and this story's plot are creations of me.

_Chapter 3: Stormy Weather_

Two weeks later, Kisa stood weakly in some wet grass, looking up at the despondent-looking, gray sky above her. The dark clouds loomed above her, warning that a storm was approaching soon. The last remaining rays of sunlight fading away, Kisa desperately made her walk farther and farther down the winding path home. However, something was not right, this path was unfamiliar… She had become lost.

Her breath grew shorter and heavier, as she dashed through the unfamiliar path, searching for a place she knew. The atmosphere grew darker and sadder each step she took, and suddenly, a clamor of thunder was heard.

A storm had begun. The rain started to pour from the billowing clouds, and with them did Kisa's tears.

_Where am I?_ Kisa thought in bewilderment, desperately trying to stifle the teardrops that trickled down from her eyes. _Is this even Sohma property? The clouds are so dark, that it seems I could easily become lost…_

She clasped onto her book bag tightly, in hopes of keeping it off the sodden ground, so it would not become wet. She sat herself in the shelter of a large willow tree, looking up at the sky and wishing the storm away.

A few minutes passed, and the storm only worsened. The poor tiger was still seeking shelter underneath the tree, until she heard the concerned voice of a young woman call out at her, "Kisa-san… _Kisa-san!_ What are you doing here? Are you hurt? You poor thing… You must get inside before you catch a cold."

Kisa turned to face the young woman, who wore a bright, flowery pink dress. The woman was a brunette, with dark brown eyes, and held a magenta umbrella in her frail hands. Her name was Tohru Honda.

Kisa's eyes smiled with joy, as she cried out in happiness, "Onee-chan! I'm so happy to see you… I became lost in the storm, so I sought shelter underneath the branches of this tree."

Tohru answered with much worry in her voice, "That's horrible – you could catch a cold! Come on, we will go to Shigure-san's house and get you dried up…" She quickly wrapped her coat around Kisa for warmth and led the girl to shelter from the storm.

Quietly, they entered the house, Kisa's complexion pale from her being outside in the cold, stormy weather for so long. Tohru led her through the entryway, and they sat down on the floor of the living room. Tohru left briefly to put some tea on the kettle, but returned quickly to converse with the saddened girl sitting on the living room floor.

Tohru handed Kisa a warm cup of tea, as she spoke, "Kisa-san you must be exhausted! Here, have some of this tea… It will do you a world of good."

Kisa accepted the tea, replying, "Thank you, onee-chan…"

Tohru answered, with a warm smile on her face, "You are very welcome… Nobody else is here at the moment… Yuki-kun is still at the university, finishing up a project for his botany class, Shigure-san is being hunted down by his editor, and Kyo-kun had to go out somewhere… so I had gone out on a walk to pass the time. I am so happy you are ok, Kisa-san… When I saw you crying there, I was very worried."

Kisa responded sweetly, "You are very kind, onee-chan, for worrying about me that way…"

Tohru smiled kindly, as she sipped her own tea. "So, while we are here waiting for the storm to pass, would you like to talk about anything?"

Kisa hesitantly looked at Tohru. Would she understand about her feelings about Hiro? Well, if anybody could, it had to be her… "Yes… Actually, I do… I do want to talk about something."

"Whatever could it be, Kisa-san?" Tohru expressed with a great deal of concern.

"Well, you know… Hiro-kun and I… we have known each other for a very long time now, right?" Kisa said, her voice slightly faltering.

"Yes… you seem to have… but why do you bring this up?"

"For the longest time… I've liked him a lot – maybe even loved him – and recently… I've started to think that maybe he likes me, too…"

"I see…"

"…but I don't think I can tell him… what if he doesn't like me? What if I am wrong? _What if Akito finds out?_ What would I do then?" Kisa's teary eyes widened in fear, at the thought of Akito finding out. He had injured Kisa once before out of anger, and Kisa feared to imagine his reaction if he knew about her liking Hiro.

"You just be yourself… That's what others used to tell me when I was in a tough situation. Be yourself, and take things slowly… in time you'll figure out what to do, like I did." Tohru smiled slightly, as she wiped the tears off Kisa's cheeks. "Just be yourself… and you'll figure out a way."

"But… onee-chan… Should I tell him…? I don't know… is it even safe to ever tell Hiro-kun?" Kisa cried out, tears flowing from her eyes like the rain from the clouds.

"You will have to decide that on your own, Kisa-san… but the decision you make, when you do, I'm sure will be the right one… Just have some faith, and sunshine will peak through and rid the storm that you are going through in your life."

The sound of pouring rain from outside suddenly died down, and the sun began to peak through the clouds. Tohru grinned cheerfully. "The rain has stopped now… If you wish, I can make some snack for you, before you leave."

Kisa wiped her tears away with a small smile. "No, Mom must be worried sick by now… I should leave right away. Thank you for the advice…"

"You're welcome… Have a safe walk home, Kisa-san." Tohru waved goodbye to the young girl sweetly, until she had disappeared entirely from Kisa's sight.

Looking back at the house, Kisa smiled ever so slightly.

_Maybe there is hope that the sun will come out, after all…_

And she turned to walk home, sensing the stormy weather's end approaching at last.

**Neko's Rambling Corner Part 4:** Hello again! So it's chapter 3… A very sweet chapter I think – very pretty, indeed. I think that whenever Tohru is around, the mood naturally brightens. Nice, isn't it? This chapter is also pretty moving, in my opinion. Great combination! However, after this, I might not update _quite_ as often, as I have been, because this was the last chapter I wrote while I was on that trip to California… Anyway, there isn't much else I'd like to say here… there has been some stormy weather lately, so that was a great inspiration for this chapter. See you later, everybody!


	5. Chapter 4: Down that Lonely Road

**Wishing Not to be Alone**

Disclaimer: Although I wish I could own Fruits Basket, I don't. Anyway, if I owned it, it wouldn't be that good anyway… so, be happy I don't.

_Chapter 4: Down that Lonely Road _

On that same rainy day, Hiro was walking down the empty streets past the entrance of the Sohma Estate. A few rays of sunlight were gradually starting to peak through the gray clouds, warming the cold, sodden ground underneath his feet. Since he did not wish to go home yet, he kept walking past the estate, through the 'outside' roads and beyond. When he arrived at Kazuma Sohma's karate dojo, he stopped and examined the dojo.

The atmosphere was silent. This was odd, for the dojo to be empty on a school day such as this. Hiro figured that they must have closed up for the day due to the terrible weather they had experienced only a few hours previously. However, Hiro didn't care. He wasn't going to the dojo that day for any sort of karate training anyway… he just wanted to go somewhere to kill some time. Of course, the exterior of the dojo was one of his favorite places to pursue that exact activity. Besides, in his opinion, he was relieved that he didn't have to hear whiny little kids' complaints or the endless bickering of his cousins. (Although he could probably out-complain any little kid in existence…)

He sat down on the foot of an ancient tree. Since he was very young, he had always come to this place during times when he wanted to think through a difficult problem, or just have somewhere to relax. Sure, usually there were many others around here, but when classes were over, there was a serene peacefulness in this area. It really calmed him.

Suddenly, the solitude was broken when a familiar voice sounded from behind, "Hey, brat, what the heck are you doing here today?" Hiro turned to face the voice's owner. A young man, five years older than himself, with bright orange hair and catlike, red eyes was staring downwards at him. It was one of his cousins, Kyo Sohma. Kyo helped Shihan, who was a sort of adopted "father" of his, at the dojo, so he often was there on days that the dojo was closed up and nobody else was present.

Hiro replied, standing up from his spot underneath the tree, in a very caustic manner, "What am _I_ doing here? If that's the case, what are _you_ doing here? Are you saying that you have more of a right to be here then me…? Are you saying you are more _important_ than me? If so, then I wholeheartedly object…"

Kyo yelled, casting a threatening glance Hiro's way, "Why, you… little twerp! Sometime, you'll get a taste of your own medicine, you know! Yeah, you will… you idiotic little…"

Hiro interrupted with a note of sarcasm in his voice, "Oh, _threatening_ me, are you? I'm _so_ scared. Remember what I told you… do you _want_ to be charged for child abuse?"

"You little—!"

Hiro grinned evilly. Kyo's irascible temper made him a great target for annoying. "Anyway, can you leave me alone? Don't you have your _stupid _girlfriend to go home to?"

Kyo rose his voice in anger, "Don't you _dare_ call Tohru stupid, or else…" His fist tightened in threat.

Hiro answered, "Of course, I won't…" (…_stupid,_ he added in his thoughts.)

Kyo calmed himself. "So, what were you doing here anyway, kid?"

"Why should that concern you?"

"Today isn't one of the days you usually come to the dojo, even when the weather isn't stormy."

"Yeah, so…?"

"It's definitely weird."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

Hiro felt annoyed. Why should that idiotic cat care? Although, to others, he guessed, it was sort of weird to visit the dojo on a day when he wasn't supposed to be doing anything there, but why should they care? He should be able to do whatever he wanted without anybody saying anything about it, in his opinion.

Hiro said, picking up his schoolbag from the ground, "Well, I'm going, ok? So leave me alone… Really, just leave me alone." To which he took off without a word, as Kyo stared at the teenage boy.

Hiro walked down that lonely road leading outside the dojo. It was true, he had been acting weird lately… it must've been the battle he was having with his own emotions. He knew that there was no way he could ever tell Kisa how he liked her. However, the more he tried to distance himself from her, the more he longed to tell her. He seemed to be traveling down the empty path for ages, but he didn't know or care where he was going. He could be walking for an eternity, and it would not make a bit of difference to him. He just needed to go somewhere where he couldn't be disturbed. A place of peace, a place of quiet…

The sun was beginning to set, and darkness had begun to befall the sky. And as the sky darkened, the clouds began to darken as well, a warning sign that another storm could be approaching once again. Hiro became depressed as he looked at the stormy clouds – nearly of similar nature to those feelings that shadowed and saddened his tormented soul.

Soon, he began to realize where he was. He had subconsciously been walking down the road to the Sohma house this whole time. However, since he hadn't been paying attention at all to anything around him, he had not realized where exactly he was at the time until then. The sound of lightning was heard, and another storm had begun. However, this one seemed even worse – even more violent than the one that came before. The rain poured heavily, and the wind shook the trees violently. Hiro feared that he may not be able to make it home before dark, since the storm was slowing him down, and considering the size of the Sohma estate, it already was a considerably long walk from home.

_I'm sure Mom must be freaking out by now, but this storm is really bad… and I'm still so far away from home…_

Suddenly, he heard the soft sound of crying from behind. The weeping of a young girl, whom Hiro immediately recognized the voice of. Kisa was sitting on the side of the road, sheltered by a large tree, her head in her trembling hands. Tears were dripping from her eyes, as she stammered, "H—Hiro… Hiro-kun… I—I thought the storm had cleared, but it seems to have just worsened… Worsened… Worsened… So much worse…"

Hiro answered, staring at Kisa with a frightened expression in his face, "K-Kisa, what are you doing out here? Are you ok…?"

Kisa replied, tears in her eyes as she lifted her head higher, "I was returning from school, and I got lost and caught in the storm. Onee-chan found me, and brought me to Shigure-ojiichan's house to stay until the storm passed. She gave me tea, and we talked—" Kisa hesitated for a moment, she couldn't tell Hiro what she told Tohru that afternoon. Instead, she said, "—about several things. Once the storm had cleared, I left to go home. And although I thought the storm had passed, then it started once again…"

Hiro glared at Kisa, speechless. For a few moments, there was total silence, as Kisa silently sobbed. Hiro held out his hand to help her up, and Kisa's tearing golden eyes stared into Hiro's, as she reached for his hand. Hiro told her, "Here, I'll walk you home… so please, don't cry. I'm sure, if you just remain positive, I'm sure—I'm sure that the storm will pass."

Kisa smiled slightly, as she held his hand, and they walked together down that no-longer-lonely road to their respective houses. As they were nearing the main house, Hiro suddenly mentioned, "Umm… Kisa, remember that day three years ago when I told you why Akito… hurt you…?"

Kisa remembered, she had met Hiro while going to give Hinata (who had just been conceived) some CDs of music, and he had apologized to her for Akito hurting her. "Yes, I do remember… And you said that you said something to make Akito angry…" She always had wondered what he could have told Akito to make him angry and take it out on her.

"Yes, about that… Don't… don't worry about what I told him. It… was nothing…" Hiro sighed. Again, it seemed that he could never tell her… although he so longed to tell her what he had said to instigate such a violent reaction on Akito's part.

Kisa smiled, and although she still was curious to know what Hiro could've told Akito to make him react in such a manner, that all was a part of the past now. She was trying to move on, and little by little, she had done so.

Hiro watched Kisa, as they neared the girl's house. The storm was gradually clearing up, and the mood was brightening bit by bit. And, although it was night, the atmosphere did not feel dark and empty, but strangely, slightly cheerful.

_Someday, I'll tell her, but for now, I want things to remain the way they are…_

Once they arrived at Kisa's house, he waved goodbye to the girl, and left for his home, waving until she disappeared from his sight. Although the day may have been stormy and blue, for some reason, he no longer felt as if he was walking down a lonely road…

…and he only hoped that Kisa could feel that way, as well.

**Neko's Rambling Corner Part 5:** So chapter 4 has finally been finished. I'm sorry it took so long. It seems everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong while writing this. I kept switching ideas for it, because _nothing_ worked for this chapter, making me rewrite it about 3 times. Then, once I finally figured out what I wanted to do, I had finished halfway through the chapter, but then file became corrupted by a virus, making me had to redo the whole entire chapter. Then, once I finally finished, the floppy disk drive was malfunctioning, so it was stuck on my ancient, no-internet-connection laptop, making about an hour's worth of trial and error (with the computer completely freezing up a million times in between) trying to get the stupid thing working. Once I finally got it to work and saved the file onto the disk, my brother was monopolizing the computer with the internet connection (as he **always** does), so I had to wait for a while until I could properly kick him off… But here it is, and although I had to lose my sanity (what sanity?) in the process, it's officially uploaded. However, this chapter was the longest of all the ones so far, so that's another reason why it took so long.

Anyway, this chapter was a really interesting to write (certainly kept me busy). I loved the part when Hiro annoyed Kyo… They're so similar in personality! It just makes me laugh… Just a random little note, so what was with Hiro's comment about Kyo's "stupid girlfriend"…? Well, from what you could guess by Kyo's reply, his girlfriend is Tohru. Hiro, of course, knows Tohru as "stupid woman", so that's why he called her Kyo's "stupid girlfriend"… plus, he probably just wanted to anger Kyo. You might wonder why Kyo isn't imprisoned yet even though he's out of high school now… I'm not sure whether I'm going to mention it in the story, yet. (No, the curse _isn't_ broken; I'll give you that) However, in case I do use it, the reason will remain a secret. The scene at the end refers to an event that happens in Chapter 104. For those of you who aren't up-to-date on the latest chapters of the manga… basically, Hiro told Kisa that it was his fault that Akito hurt her in Ch. 104. He said that he had said something to anger Akito (of course, we all know what, but he would never say what he told Akito to Kisa) and Akito took that anger out on her, and then Hiro apologized. ( I told you there were spoilers!) Anyway, thanks for the reviews! They keep me encouraged, and feedback helps me a lot to improve my writing and such. So, bye!


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